WhatsApp users may sometimes face problems while backing up or restoring chats, especially after changing phones or reinstalling the app. Backup issues can lead to missing messages, failed restores, or stuck progress bars, making it difficult to recover important conversations and media. According to WhatsApp's official support FAQ, several common problems can usually be fixed with simple troubleshooting steps such as restarting the phone, reconnecting the Google account, or checking permissions. Here's a step-by-step guide on what users can do if WhatsApp chat backup or restore is not working properly.
What to do if your WhatsApp backup is stuck
If your backup gets stuck while backing up or restoring, try the following steps:
- Restart your device.
- Log out of your Google Account and then log in again.
- Turn your Wi-Fi off and back on, or connect to a different Wi-Fi network, or use mobile data. Note that if you switch to a different Wi-Fi network, the backup might timeout.
- Reduce the size of your backup, as your phone may not have the necessary space for a backup or restore. Check your device's storage and delete unnecessary files.
- Check if your device's battery is fully charged or if your device is charging.
- Force stop or close WhatsApp.
- If you're using a dual SIM phone, check that the SIM linked to your WhatsApp phone number is active.
- Check if the Google Play Services app needs to be updated. Open your device's Settings, go to Apps, tap Google Play Services, scroll to the bottom, tap App info, then Update.
- If you're still having trouble, try uninstalling WhatsApp, restarting your phone, and then reinstalling WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
What to do if you see error messages during WhatsApp backup
If you get an error message such as:
- "This account already exists on your device."
- "Your account cannot be accessed at this time."
- "Your messages cannot be backed up."
- "The backup could not be taken. Tap to allow WhatsApp to save the backup to Google storage."
- Or your listed Google Account is grayed out when linking your Google Account to WhatsApp.
Follow these steps to fix the error message:
- Check WhatsApp's permissions and make sure the Photos and Videos permission is set to Allow.
- Go to your device's Settings, then Accounts, tap Manage accounts, select your Google Account.
- Tap Sync account, then Menu, then Sync now. Allow syncing to keep your data up-to-date.
- Go back to the previous screen and tap Remove Account.
- To add a previously removed account, open WhatsApp, tap More options, Settings, Chats, Chat backup, Google account. Alternatively, you can add an account after installing WhatsApp.
Troubleshooting a Corrupted Backup
If you can't restore your backup using the methods above, your backup may be corrupted. Backups can become corrupted due to interruptions, closing WhatsApp, sending or receiving corrupted files, or a variety of other reasons. Unfortunately, WhatsApp cannot restore a corrupt backup or diagnose the cause of the corruption.
Additional Notes
- If these steps don't solve your problem, check your permissions settings for WhatsApp and Google Drive.
- If your progress bar shows 100% and the notification doesn't go away, there may still be a process running in the background, including uploading or downloading media. Wait a few hours for the notification to disappear.
- Incomplete backups can occur due to a number of reasons, such as poor internet connection, low storage space on the device, or interruptions during the backup process.
- Only one backup can be stored on your Google Account per WhatsApp phone number. Creating a new backup deletes the previous one, so the previous backup cannot be restored from your Google Account.
- If you've restored a backup but some of your chats still aren't visible, you may have restored a backup file that didn't contain those chats. Before changing devices or restoring, be sure to manually back up your chats so you have an up-to-date chat history.
- If you can't restore your backup using the methods above, your backup may be corrupted. Backups can become corrupted due to interruptions, closing WhatsApp, sending or receiving corrupted files, or a variety of other reasons. We regret that WhatsApp cannot restore a corrupt backup or diagnose the cause of the corruption.
